Since December last year, Georgia has been following the fate of lion cub Shani, who was “taken away” from judo champion Lasha Bekauri. The cub was very weak and had to be nursed back to health by veterinarians. For a long time, Shani lived — or rather, she lived, as the cub is female — in the office of the director of Tbilisi Zoo. But now that she has grown, keeping her there has become dangerous, and a special enclosure is being built at speed for Shani at the new zoo site.
“This is her place, not mine — I’m not the master of this office,” joked zoo director Zurab Gurielidze.
Over seven months, Shani has managed not only to chew up all the furniture, but also to bite the director himself.
“These are the last trousers I have left. Shani’s favourite pastime is playing with people’s legs,” Gurielidze said.
JAMnews journalist Nino Memanishvili filmed a video about Shani’s “office life.”
In December 2024, Olympic champion Lasha Bekauri posted a video on social media showing himself driving with a tiny lion cub sitting in the front seat.
The clip sparked outrage among some members of the public, with many pointing out that keeping wild animals as pets is both illegal and cruel.
The uproar forced the Olympic champion to hand the cub over to the zoo. At that time, Shani was still effectively a “baby”. The zoo did not yet have a suitable enclosure, and it was too dangerous to place her with the adult lions. That is why Shani ended up living in the director’s office.
